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A turnkey - or "ready to move in" - basement can be built as a separate guest apartment or can be an entertaining space. Hiring a professional contractor can help you manage the complex work required to build a turnkey basement. Guy Solomon, the owner of Penguin Basements, explains the challenges inherit in creating a turnkey basement, letting home owners know what they need to look for in the right contractor.

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB)June 17, 2015

A fully finished basement can improve the value of your home and offer an additional living space for you or guests. A turnkey - or "ready to move in" - basement can be built as a separate guest apartment or can be an entertaining space. Hiring a professional contractor can help you manage the complex work required to build a turnkey basement. Guy Solomon, the owner of Penguin Basements, explains the challenges inherit in creating a turnkey basement, letting home owners know what they need to look for in the right contractor.

"A gorgeous, finished basement can add tens of thousands to the value of your home, but it requires laying the right ground work to get the right look," Solomon said. "Without the proper planning, the basement won't look as good as it can, and it won't give you the right functionality."

One of the most important first steps is waterproofing the basement, which can require a number of steps, including waterproofing and insulating the concrete side walls, the floors and the ceiling. Waterproofing also involves inspecting the plumbing to ensure that water is being properly routed and not backing up pressure or leaking.

Once an experienced contractor has inspected and thoroughly sealed the basement, a plan must be put in place for the wiring and plumbing. Some lines may need to be rerouted, or another solution may be implemented to cover them, such as a suspended ceiling.

In some cases, new plumbing or electrical lines may need to be installed to get the full functionality you need. A qualified contractor must evaluate the capacity of your current system to make sure that it can handle additional plumbing or electrical lines. If not, some more changes may need to be made to the system.

"With the right foundation, you can create a gorgeous finished space that would rival any other room in your home," Solomon said.

The final stages of creating your turnkey basement involving putting in finished floors, walls and ceilings, and then decorating them as you would any other room with designer moldings, ceiling beams, lighting fixtures and more. The finished space is a canvas for creating any kind of room you like, including an entertaining room, a home office or even a home gym.

It is essential that you hire a contractor who has experience and proven results in creating the kind of basement you want. Home owners should ask for referrals and check references to ensure they are getting the right contractor for the job.

Penguin Basements has been building turnkey basements of all types for many years and has a hard-earned reputation built by the positive reviews of hundreds of satisfied customers.